


get up again

by snowdarkred



Series: leave it all on the ice [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hockey, Friendship, Hockey, M/M, Slice of Life, Social Media, Yurio is a third wheel, also Russian feels, no hockey experience needed i have more than enough, we've entered magnificent sap territory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-18
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-08-31 18:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8589496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowdarkred/pseuds/snowdarkred
Summary: When Yuuri was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, it was a dream come true. Years of practice, of hard work, of talking to scouts and agents, of posting his own highlights on Youtube — it all paid off. Sure, he went in the seventh round, surrounded by players who were probably never going to make the show, but Pavel Datsyuk went in the sixth and look at his career. Yuuri was going to make it. He moved all the way across the world for this, competed internationally for this, bled and cried for this. He was going to make it to the NHL. Yuuri didn't make it.





	1. Yuuri

**Author's Note:**

> The hockey AU no one asked for. My apologies to the actual captain of Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Sergei Mozyakin, who I bumped for Viktor. Further apologies to SKA fans.
> 
> For explanations for the hockey references made in this fic, please check the end note.

** June 2016  **

 

When Yuuri was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, it was a dream come true. Years of practice, of hard work, of talking to scouts and agents, of posting his own highlights on Youtube — itall paid off. Sure, he went in the seventh round, surrounded by players who were probably never going to make the show, but Pavel Datsyuk went in the sixth and look at his career. Yuuri was going to make it. He moved all the way across the world for this, competed internationally for this, bled and cried for this. He was going to make it to the NHL. 

Yuuri didn't make it. He spent the three years of his contract playing for Toledo in the third tier ECHL, getting four hundred dollars a week and living with three other players. He only played in five AHL games, where he registered three assists and no goals. He was never called up to the NHL at all. He was struggling under the pressure and drowning in anxiety. His North American agent barely answered his phone calls, even though he was doing fairly solidly in the ECHL, and Yuuri knew that that was it. Between the few chances he got to show what he could do on a bigger stage and the point slump he had when his parents told him Vicchan died, he didn't see a way forward. 

When his contract was up, he parted ways with his agent and went home to Japan. 

"Have you come to practice?" Yuuko asked when he showed up at the Ice Castle. Yuuri nodded, and Yuuko went about setting the ice up for hockey, dragging out the nets with her husband and even putting out cones. A trip to the freezer for some pucks and they were set. 

"Let's do that game we used to play," Yuuko suggested. The three of them had been obsessed with ice sports after the 1998 Olympics, when they watched figure skaters and hockey players compete in their respective competitions on the international stage. They would hobble out in hockey skates, barely aware of what they should do, and pass the puck with sticks that were too long. They tried their best to copy what they saw in the highlight reels that made their way online. 

"Unless you're too chicken," Nishigori said when Yuuri looked hesitant. None of them noticed the triplets behind the boards. 

And that's how video of Yuuri imitating the signature moves of all the leading NHL players, and a number of KHL ones as well, went viral. 

 

\--- 

 

** Japanese Hockey Player Yūri Katsuki Imitates NHL and KHL's Best  **

[1,723,254 views] 

 

tooh0ckey4u [10 hours ago] 

Wow, this was the kid that was drafted by the wings right? 

_ view all 52 replies  _

     fuxkpens [8 hours ago] 

     yeah but he failed out like tsujimoto 

 

\--- 

 

Yuuri had time to figure out his next move. The offseason was long for those who don't make their respective playoffs, and someone from the ALIH had already contacted him for his agent's information. He told the representative he didn't have an agent yet, and that he would get back in touch when he did. 

"You could make a lot more money in the ALIH than you never did in America," his sister Mari said. "I'll even be your agent." 

"The ALIH isn't the NHL though," Yuuri sighed, and Mari threw up her hands and stomped away. 

It wasn't the NHL, but it would be hockey. He'd be paid more than three times what he was in the ECHL. He'd get to live in Japan, play for a Japanese team, see Japanese faces in the audience. The Asian teams always looked for homegrown talent; no one wanted to look too dependent on their foreign players, those Americans and Russians who trickled in from the bigger, more established leagues. Phichit played for one of the Korean teams, so they would get to see each other. 

It would be a good step to prolong his career, if that's what he was looking for. 

Yuuri was still moping around Hasetsu weeks later. He split his time between eating far too many bowls of katsudon and going to the Ice Castle, where he did halfhearted drills and one man rushes against stationary cones. Then Phichit called him with the news that Viktor Nikiforov had been spotted at the airport near Hasetsu. Then he went home and saw a very familiar canine outside his parents' onsen. He ran without a second thought, tearing through the hallways, right past Viktor's infamous dog and into the baths.  

_The_ Viktor Nikiforov. Captain of Metallurg Magnitogorsk, four time KHL MVP, two time Gagarin Cup winner, two time Olympian, and member of four World Championship winning teams. _That_ Viktor Nikiforov. 

He was naked. 

Yuuri was so screwed. 

 

\--- 

 

"He flew all the way here from Russia for you! To play with you!" Yuuko shouted.  

"He saw that silly video your daughters posted," Yuuri protested. "He probably just wants to do a, a follow up video or something." 

"He's your idol. What are you going to do, turn him down?" Nishigori asked skeptically. 

Yuuri thought about Viktor, naked, standing up in the hot spring and extending his hand to Yuuri, about him saying, "I decided I need you on my line." As if that wasn't absolutely crazy. 

As if Yuuri could turn him down, if Viktor was serious. 

Viktor dragged him to the rink the next day, his equipment brought ahead by a distressingly helpful Minako. Nishigori had unhelpfully volunteered to play goaltender for them. Once there, Viktor bullied Yuuri into doing practice drills and keep-away games, and—

It worked. 

Yuuri had been obsessed with Viktor for years. Viktor was only a few years older than him, but Yuuri had watched his tape religiously, from when he was a prospect to when he made the NHL at eighteen. Yuuri had spent hours watching him play and then trying to copy it, getting a feel for how Viktor ate up the ice and split through defensemen. Yuuri had even chosen his position just because Viktor played center, so that one day he might have the option of playing on Viktor's wing. 

So when Viktor diagrammed the play he wanted them to try, Yuuri was ready. 

They sank into rhythm like they had been playing together every day of their lives. They traded no look pass after no look pass, perfectly in sync. Yuuri was hyper aware of Viktor, every stride he skated, every adjustment he made to his hockey stick. The puck landed in the middle of the tape every time. Together they drove Nishigori nuts, scoring on the net like he wasn't even there. 

"You're very light on your skates!" Viktor exclaimed after Yuuri scored with a spinorama, just to show off. 

"I used to figure skate," Yuuri explained without embarrassment. Figure skating was the perfect way to gain control and flexibility on the ice. 

"Excellent, so did I!" Viktor smiled conspiratorially. "Perfect." 

Nishigori grumbled something about having better things to do before abandoning the net. Neither of them noticed. 

"Why did you quit?" Viktor asked once they had finally wound down. The second half of their session had felt like dancing, it was so perfect. Yuuri hadn't felt like this since he and Yuuko had danced pairs as children, when they knew each other so well it felt like their hearts beat as one. 

"I didn't quit," Yuuri protested. "My contract finished."  

"You didn't even try to negotiate another one," Viktor said. "If you really loved North American hockey so much, you could have signed on for another two years. You could have gone to a different team. You could have gone to the SPHL instead, or even the LNAH. But you came here to a town with no hockey opportunities. I heard you haven't even called the ALIH back." 

"My dream was to make it to the NHL," Yuuri said quietly. Like Viktor had. 

"So was mine," Viktor said. "I even made it. But it wasn't what I had hoped for. I lost my love for the game, much like I think you have. So I went home and found it again. Is that what you're trying to do, find your love for the game again?" 

No, Yuuri was hiding from his own shame and failure. 

"Won't you come to the KHL?" Viktor asked softly. "If Metallurg is to repeat the Cup, we need fresh talent. No one can read me on the ice like you can. None of them can keep up with me like you. I need you." 

"I don't have a foreign agent anymore," Yuuri said. He doesn't have a domestic agent either, really, and he's no Alexander Ovechkin to have his mom negotiate for him. 

"That's all right, you can use mine," Viktor said easily, like some Russian agent was going to welcome a Japanese nobody with open arms. Maybe if Viktor said so, he would. 

"You can even live with me and Makkachin!" 

Yuuri looked down. He was too busy trying to hide his blush to see that Viktor was smiling down on him fondly, Yuuri's own feelings reflected in his eyes. 

 

\--- 

 

** Yūri Katsuki and KHL MVP Viktor Nikiforov Practice Together in Hasetsu Japan  **

[361,682 views] 

 

crosbymebb [3 hours ago] 

Holy shit! how did the wings let this kid go? Shades of Crosby and Kunitz here 

_ view all 36 replies  _

     doncherryontop1 [1 hour ago] 

     anyone would play good next to that russian coward 

     crosbymebb [1 hour ago] 

     your as enlightened as your username suggests 

 

\--- 

 

** April 2017  **

 

Metallurg finished the season at second in their conference. They made the playoffs. Metallurg blew through the first round with an almost embarrassing best-of-seven 4-0 sweep, the second round with a decisive 4-2 victory, and the third round with a nail biting 4-3 Game 7 win. The finals seemed to drag on forever. Yuuri was so full of nerves he spent the nights before games staring sleeplessly at Viktor's ceiling or snacking endlessly on pickled beets. Yuri Plisetsky, the junior player Viktor was billeting from the MHL, scowled every time he caught Yuuri stuffing his face.  

(Yuuri had missed tsukemono unbearably in Toledo. The only thing Americans seemed to pickle were cucumbers. Russians pickled as many vegetables as the Japanese and then some, and even if it wasn't quite the same, it still reminded him of home.)  

In the end, it came down to the last minute of Game 7. Metallurg and SKA were tied at two each, and both teams were desperately scrambling for the win. Coach put Yuuri and Viktor's line on the ice, and Viktor stole the puck from Khokhlachev before the other center could blink. Yuuri tore down the ice with Viktor, pulling back only to be sure that Viktor crossed into the offensive zone first. He twisted around the lone defender, accepted a blind pass from Viktor— 

And shot the puck into the back of the net, right over Koskinen's shoulder.

Viktor slammed Yuuri into the boards in celebration, screaming a nonsense mix of excited Russian, Japanese, and English into his ear. Their teammates crowded around them, trading celebratory hugs and butt slaps, but Yuuri's eyes never left Viktor. His hand gripped the captain's K on Viktor's shoulder.  

The celebration ended, and after a quick victory lap, they settled back into position. They had a 3-2 lead with thirty seconds left on the clock. If they wound the time down, Yuuri's goal would be the game winner. He would have won his team the Gagarin Cup.  

Yuuri exchanged a final nod with Viktor as everyone lined up at the faceoff dot. He was ready. 

 

\--- 

 

** The Unexpected Rise of Yuri Katsuki: How a Japanese player most of us have never heard of made history  **

by Steve Dangle, guest writing for RMNB 

  

To say that no one expected Yuri Katsuki's dominance would be a lie. One person absolutely expected it: Katsuki's teammate, roommate, and the man who recruited him to the KHL, Viktor Nikiforov. 

"I saw that video that went viral just like everyone else," Nikiforov said, referring to [this video] that shows Katsuki copying the signature goals of famous players from Sidney Crosby to Patrick Kane to Pavel Datsyuk. Nikiforov's own spinorama technique was featured prominently several times. "I knew he was a special player immediately. I couldn't believe that he was a free agent." 

With Christophe Giacometti returned to his home country of Switzerland, there was a spot open for a winger on Nikiforov's line. After seeing that video, he knew exactly who he wanted to fill it. 

"I flew in right away!" Nikiforov laughed. "I barely even let my agent know where I was going. I wanted to get to him before anyone else did." 

He succeeded. Shortly after, another video of Katsuki went viral — this one of him practicing with Nikiforov — and Metallurg Magnitogorsk announced that it had signed Katsuki to a try out contract. He would play the preseason with the team, and if he did well, they would offer him a full contract. 

"I'm very glad they gave me a chance," Katsuki said when asked about the try out. "I know that going from the ECHL to the KHL involves a leap of faith on the organization's part." 

Some commentators have compared to Katsuki's rise in the KHL to a fairy tale. How else would a virtual unknown break records as the KHL's highest scoring Japanese player of all time in just one season? 

Katsuki's long time childhood friend Yuko Nishigori disagreed that it sounded like a fairy tale. "Yuri worked hard. He and Viktor trained together all through the offseason. Nothing was handed to him. He earned his spot on Viktor's line. He just needed someone to give him the chance that Detroit didn't." 

"The talent has always been there," family friend Minako Okukawa added. "He's represented Japan multiple times internationally." 

Friends and loved ones have gathered at the Katsuki family inn to celebrate Metallurg's Gagarin Cup victory. Nikiforov and Katsuki display uncanny ability on the ice together, and it only makes sense that Nikiforov be here for the celebration. After all, he did get the assist on Katsuki's Cup winning goal. 

Katsuki is the only Japanese player to score a Cup winning goal in KHL history, a fact that Nikiforov mentions at regular intervals. 

"They're gross. It's bad enough having to live with them," Yuri Plisetsky said when asked about Katsuki and Nikiforov's on- and off-ice chemistry. Plisetsky plays for Stalnye Lisy, the junior team affiliated with Metallurg. He billets with Nikiforov during the season and appears to have been dragged to Japan to celebrate the championship win with his mentors.  

"I have no idea what we're going to do with them," Mari Katsuki, Yuri's sister, said as the two celebrated with Japanese party games. "It's like they were made for each other."  

It certainly shows on the ice. 

 * 

Be sure to watch Katsuki and Nikiforov next year in the KHL. If you want to see even more of them, check out this video they graciously agreed to shoot where they humiliate me on my own vlog: [KATSUKI AND NIKIFOROV MURDER STEVE DANGLE ON THE ICE WHILE MRS DANGLE LAUGHS] 

 

Additional note: The Katsuki's family inn was delightful to stay at and I encourage anyone who finds themselves in that part of Japan to check it out. 

 

** COMMENTS  **

 

ovigodmode8 

Wow I watched the video and Katsuki and Nikiforov are even gayer for each other than the rumors suggested  

thegreat8mate 

     normally I don't hold with this kind of talk, but SERIOUSLY 

          restnpiecescrysby 

          but they're so good the khl ignores it, bless 

 

backstrominsurance 

Someone get these two on a plane to the NHL. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick league explanations:  
> NHL - National Hockey League, spread across Canada and the US, considered the best league in the world.  
> AHL - American Hockey League, spread across Canada and the US, NHL farm teams, second tier to NHL.  
> ECHL - East Coast Hockey League, AHL & NHL farm teams, spread across the US (east and west) with one Canadian team, third tier to NHL.  
> SPHL - Southern Professional Hockey League, independent hockey league located mostly in the south; includes the only female goalie in North America to play in a men's pro league. Fourth tier.  
> KHL - Kontinental Hockey League, spread across Russia, eastern Europe, and Northern Asia, considered the best league outside of the NHL. Top Russian league.  
> MHL - Russian junior league for under 20 players. Players in junior leagues tend to be billeted with either local families or older players who can make sure they don't get into trouble.  
> ALIH - Asia League Ice Hockey. An independent league with teams spread across Japan, Korea, and China. 
> 
> The Gagarin Cup is named after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space. 
> 
> Don Cherry is a Canadian hockey commentator who wears colorful suits and has a reputation for being a xenophobic jerk. 
> 
> Steve Dangle is a well known hockey Youtuber and journalist with his own podcast. He also works for Sportsnet and occasionally writes guest articles on various hockey websites. (I had him spell the Japanese names that way on purpose.) Mrs. Dangle is awesome and can be found on twitter. 
> 
> RMNB stands for Russian Machine Never Breaks, a blog devoted to the NHL's Washington Capitals and various Russian players. 
> 
> If Yuuri's mom was anything like Ovechkin's mom Tatiana Ovechkina, he'd be well served by having her negotiate for him, seeing as she got her son a record $124 million contract. Ovechkin is known by several nicknames, including Ovi/Ovie, Alexander the Great, and some rude ones involving sheep puns. He wears the number 8.
> 
> Please google Taro Tsujimoto for my own amusement.
> 
> You can come talk hockey or Yuri on Ice with me at my [tumblr](http://snowdarkred.tumblr.com/).


	2. Yurio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally a oneshot, but I couldn't resist doing a bit of Yurio's POV. I make no guarantees my Russian is accurate. 
> 
> I bumped the rating up to teen and took the fluff tag off. This part contains homophobic insults and a fight.
> 
> Further hockey references in the end note.

** August 2017 **

 

Viktor had a unique skill outside of his hockey abilities: nicknames he gave stuck.

Yurio hated it.

Within days of Viktor dragging that Japanese wannabe back to Russia, he declared that Yuri's name was now Yurio — instead of just calling him Yura or Yurasha or something normal. And then, through whatever magic Viktor's useless ability gave him, all of his teammates, his trainers, and even his coaches all suddenly started calling him that.

He even sometimes thought of _himself_ as Yurio, and it was _infuriating_. 

"It's a hockey nickname," Japanese Yuuri said with a shrug. "The more you fight it, the harder it's going to stick."

"What would you know about it, поросенок?" Yurio snarled, but this and his other protests didn't do anything to stop the spread of the disease. By the time a broadcaster accidentally referred to him as Yurio to his face during an interview, he gave up and resigned himself to silent fury over the situation. 

Viktor, as expected, found the whole situation hilarious and kept posting snapchats featuring Yurio's increasingly agitated face. Agreeing to have Viktor billet him was the worse decision he'd ever made.

"It's not too late for me to go to America," Yurio told Viktor savagely after a round of well-meaning—but maddening—mocking.

"Please," Viktor said, waving away the threat. "You tried to fight half of Team Canada at last year's World Juniors. You want to be teammates with them now?"

Yurio grumbled something explicit about Viktor's parentage and stomped off. Asshole. 

Despite all this, he never said no when Yuuri and Viktor asked if Yurio wanted to go with them to the gym, or to the rink, or out for a run. Yurio had his eyes set on the NHL, and if he ever wanted to get out of the Russian system, he needed to be the best. He would be the best. He needed to surpass Viktor to make his future time in the NHL stick, and he refused to get stuck in the minors like Yuuri had been. Yurio had a life plan: win theKharlamov Cup with his junior team, dominate the 2018 World Juniors in America, go high in the NHL draft, make his NHL team roster out of training camp, earn lots of money, and leave a trail of glory for other Russian players to desperately hunt after.

Viktor and Yuuri could continue whatever the hell their relationship was while he left them in the dust.

 

\--- 

 

**RMNB** @ russianmachine

Yurio Plisetsky is tearing up the MHL this year. Guess living with a living legend pays off #worldjuniorswatch #yurioplisetsky

16/9/2017 10:53 MSK

 

**THE ONLY YURI**  @yuri-plisetsky

.@russianmachine Не будь жо́пой!!! IT'S YURI MY NAME IS YURI 

16/9/2017 10:56 MSK

 

\--- 

 

Yurio glared at the two assholes on the couch. He had a game tonight. He had a pregame routine. He was going to mock the latest episode of Молодёжка, then he was going to take a nap, and then he would head to the arena for his pregame meal with the rest of the Stalnye Lisy team. 

But Yuuri and Viktor had taken the couch, heads on opposite ends with their legs tangled in the middle. Makkachin was sprawled over the both of them, looking utterly content. They were fast asleep and looked unlikely to move anytime soon. Yurio knew from experience that trying to wake Viktor up before he wanted to be up resultedin head trauma and ceaseless whining for the next week.

Yurio's draft was two years away. Unless he broke his contract and made a run for the US, he was stuck here with these assholes. He could request to be billeted somewhere else, but people would ask what lead to it. 

He didn't want to tell them why.

Yurio took out his phone, snapped a quick picture, and posted it to Instagram with a one-word caption. Served them right. 

 

\--- 

 

❤ 2,351 

**Бесят**

 

_view all 382 comments_

daveyclarkmansfist wtf

katyacoaching Супер трогательно!

carterrichards5vr I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS 

 

\--- 

 

** December 2017 **

 

Yurio and the rest of the national team traveled to New York right before Christmas. The trip took three planes and far too many hours, and by the time they landed in Buffalo, Yurio was ready to climb onto the wings just to get away from his teammates. They meant well, but if he had to answer anymore questions about Viktor or Yuuri or Viktor and Yuuri, he was going to do something drastic, like defect. 

They were bused to the hotel near the area, and after check in, they ran into half of Team Canada pouring out of the elevators. Yurio kept his distance. He didn't want a repeat of what happened at the U18 tournament last year. 

"Don't worry, малютка," one of his teammates whispered to him as they passed. "We won't let the big bad canucks get you."

"Like I would need your help to take them," Yurio snapped, and then he stormed onto the elevator with his bags. Screw them anyway.

The tournament got underway after some small fanfare and an opening ceremony that didn't seem to end. Group play was, as usual, a huge pain. Russia cruised to easy wins over the Czech Republic and Slovakia and suffered a brutal loss to Canada that had Yurio wishing he could start a fight. New Years passed, leaving everyone homesick for their families and the parties everyone would throw; these North Americans wasted all their energy on Christmas and didn't know how to properly celebrate the truly important holidays.

Yurio struggled to adjust back to the smaller North American ice, and for the first time, he felt a little bit of sympathy for Yuuri. It was clear that Yuuri's play, like Viktor's, worked much better on international sized rinks. There was no room to make plays, no room to cut through the defense, no choice but to battle for for every inch of ice. He remembered it being hard during the U18 championships last year, and it was hard now. However, he pulled it together enough to be fourth on his team in points despite his struggles, so ha at Yuuri.

(Of course, the previous summer, Yuuri had been made an alternate captain for Team Japan, to no one's surprise. Japan had come third in their Division I tournament, which meant that they couldn't advance to the World Championship to compete at the top level, but it was higher than they had managed in years. He had done his country proud, earning MVP honors from the IIHF. As far as Yurio was aware, the tournament was the longest Viktor and Yuuri had been apart since they met. The Metallurg team had made a huge deal out of Yuuri's international success once the new season started and Yuuri's contract extension was signed, since their Japanese viewership had spiked enormously since Yuuri joined the roster.) 

Then, finally, the elimination games began. They won their game against Switzerland, barely, and Yurio got a goal and an assist. He felt confident that they could charge ahead and regain some of the dignity and respect they had lost after last year's failure to medal, that they could make it all the way to gold—

They lost. The US team, led by the infuriatingly good Leo de la Iglesia, scored goal after goal, and neither Yurio or anyone else could seem to make enough of a difference to stop them. The team that had been touted as Russia's best chance at World Juniors since 2012 was eliminated from gold contention. 

The highest they could go now was third. 

The flight back to Russia was almost entirely silent. Their bronze metals felt like cold comfort after seeing the Americans push on to defeat Canada and take the gold once again. 2018 was off to an awful start.

 

\---

 

** February 2018 **

 

Yurio got in position at the edge of the faceoff circle, his eyes locked on where the linesman readied to drop the puck. A winger from HMC Tolpar, Kozlov, lined up next to him, jostling his stick and shouldering him back. Yurio elbowed him in the side to regain his spot, trying not to draw the attention of the officials before play resumed. 

"Get out of my way," Yurio hissed at the other boy. The linesman flubbed his puck drop and immediately whistled the play dead. Everyone was called back to the faceoff circle for a cleaner drop. Kozlov settled back in next to Yurio, giving him a whack on his ankles that was less than friendly. Yurio determinedly didn't retaliate, since his team was already down a goal and they wanted to end their last regular game of the season with a win.

It definitely wasn't because Kozlov was older, taller, and bigger than him or anything.

"So," Kozlov sneered, "what's it like to live with those two faggots?" He edged closer to Yurio. "It's a wonder that other Yuuri can skate with all the assfucking he's taking." He put his mouth next to Yurio's helmet. "Or is Viktor the one taking it?" 

Yurio's ears rang. This asshole. This fucker. How dare he? How dare he insult Viktor? How dare he say those things about... about....

This time Stalnye Lisy's center won the faceoff, but Yurio didn't follow the play. He changed his grip on his stick and crosschecked Kozlov in the chest, squaring up against him. "Shut your mouth."

Kozlov laughed and dropped his stick. "Oh are you a fag too? Should have figured, you look like—" 

Yurio tossed aside his stick and gloves, wrenched his helmet off, and punched Kozlov in the face. Surprise more than anything caused the other player to rock back, cheek reddening from the impact. Then Kozlov surged forward, dropping his own gloves and grabbing Yurio by the shoulders. Yurio started to struggle to get at least one of his arms free when one of his teammates jumped into the fight, tackling Kozlov to the ice. A Tolpar player grabbed Yurio from behind, and he turned, swinging.

The game dissolved into chaos as more junior players happily swarmed and started punching. No one wanted to be left out of a juniors fight. Yurio dished out some hits, took some hits, and hoped he looked cool in the Youtube video that was inevitably going to be posted.

 

\--- 

 

"You are far too short to start so many fights," Viktor chided him after Coach dropped Yurio off at home. "What are you going to do if your team isn't there to back you up?"

"Kick ass," Yurio grumbled around his swollen jaw. He didn't tell Viktor what really started the fight, because he'd rather walk across broken glass barefoot than talk about...feelings. Of any sort, but especially his. Or Viktor's. Or Yuuri's.

"это пиздец," he muttered to himself. He'd defended Viktor and Yuuri's honor or whatever. No big deal. He would have gladly punched Kozlov in the face even if he hadn't been an absolute prick.

Yurio wasn't a feelings kind of guy. 

 

\---

 

** MHL LINE BRAWL: TOLPAR VS STALNYE LISY (YURIO PLISETSKY INSTIGATED) **

[136,187 views]

 

christophe-gc [✓] [5 hours ago]

Our little boy is all grown up and punching people in the face :')

_ view all 12 replies _

     phichit+chu [✓] [4 hours ago]

     You're an absolute menace, Christophe.

 

\---

 

Yurio threw his phone across the living room in frustration. Even the scouting reports now referred to him as Yurio. It was like everyone on the planet had collectively forgotten what was on his birth certificate. 

"I can't escape that damn nickname you gave me," he growled at Viktor.

"Oh, that wasn't Viktor," Yuuri said with faint surprise, looking up from the Russian language homework his tutor had assigned to him. "My sister came up with it."

"What?" Yurio blinked, stunned. It hadn't been Viktor? Someone else was the cause of all this frustration? "When?"

"When Viktor came to see me in Japan," Yuuri said. "He told us about you living with him, and Mari said it would be too confusing and that he should call you Yurio. Viktor loved it, obviously."

"So this whole thing," Yurio said slowly, "is your sister's fault."

Yuuri's eyes widened behind his glasses. "Uh, I guess so?" 

Yurio took a deep breath. And then another. And another.

"What's the problem?" Viktor asked, holding Makkachin's toy far over the dog's head. "Does it matter?"

"Does it matter?" Yurio exploded. "This woman is the cause of all my pain — I'm going to fly to Japan and give her a piece of my mind. Where's my wallet? And my phone!"

Viktor and Yuuri started laughing at him, and Makkachin barked along with them, but Yurio wasn't happy or content or anything weird like that. He was just...hungry? Hungry.

He stomped off to steal Yuuri's pickled beets. He didn't like them at all, but Yuuri deserved the punishment more than Yurio disliked the beets.

 

\--- 

 

** [DISCUSSION] Will Yuri Katsuki's amazing second season in the KHL improve Japan's 2018 world championship chances?  **

submitted an hour ago by luckotheleafs

 

[-] theracoonking ♚ 29 points 54 minutes ago

     Not unless Viktor Nikiforov switched nationalities without us hearing about it.

[-] cowboyhattr1ck ☆ 2 points 43 minutes ago

     Do you think there's any chance of the two of them coming back to the nhl? Nikiforov did pretty well, from what I remember.

[-] theracoonking  ♚ 9 points 40 minutes ago

     Why would they bother? Nikiforov gets 3M USD a year (not counting bonuses) in the KHL as 1C and captain of a championship team  with no income tax. I don't know what Katsuki makes, but I heard it's much less -- but again, no taxes. Plus, what are the odds that a team could take (and keep) both of them?  There's just too many variables. If they like their set up now, they won't move.

**[DELETED]**

[-] vegasknightme **[BOW TO THE MOD]** 58 points 37 minutes ago

     Deleted and banned.  Read the rules, people. We updated them to stave off that kind of speculation for a very good reason.

[-] howlthealarm ☼ -3 points 20 minutes ago

     But we can still talk about how much domi and the duke love each other, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Kharlamov Cup is named for Valeri Kharlamov, a legendary Russian hockey player. 
> 
> Молодёжка is a Russian TV show about, what else? A juniors hockey team.
> 
> The NHL, being special snowflakes that they are, use different dimensions for their rinks than the rest of the world. International ice is larger and considered the standard (it's what the KHL uses, among others), while the NHL sticks to their smaller size. It often gives rise to different styles of play between North American players and those from every other continent.
> 
> World Juniors is a huge deal to young players, and doing well can boost how high you go in the draft and how many teams are interested in you, as Jordan Eberle can attest. 
> 
> There is no player named Kozlov on Tolpar; he is purely my invention. 
> 
> Fighting is generally not allowed in most junior leagues, not least because the age range is between 15ish to 20 and that's not exactly fair. However, that doesn't not stop fights from breaking out. Fighting is also not allowed in international play. So for example, you're unlikely to see fights between national teams. (Sometimes they do happen, usually in exhibition games, as when the USA and Canadian women's teams decided to beat the shit out of each other before the Sochi Olympics. The men's US and Canadian rivalry pales in comparison to how heated the women's rivalry is.)
> 
> You can come talk hockey or Yuri on Ice with me at my [tumblr]().


	3. Viktor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha I went to get my skates sharpened the other day, and the guy working looked like a shorter Gabriel Landeskog. Meanwhile, I was wearing no makeup, my hair was up in a horrible frizzy bun, and I had on the rattiest Penguins sweatshirt I own. I looked like I got hit by truck FML.
> 
> I changed the status from completed to in progress because I know I'm doing one more part after this.

**March 2019**

 

They left it all out on the ice. They played as hard as they could, and Viktor knew that people noticed — their teammates, the coaching staff, the media. They said that Viktor and Yuuri were playing like they had something to prove and everything to lose. Like these playoffs were their last.

Metallurg had tried to open negotiations for their contracts early that season, but Viktor and Yuuri declined again and again. They wanted to focus on the season, they said at first. They wanted to focus on the playoffs, they said as the first round started. They wanted to focus on hockey, they said at the beginning of the second round.

When Metallurg was eliminated six games and four losses later, they pled exhaustion to the media and strategy to the team. They went home after clean out day and sat, silent, in Viktor's empty house.

"Are you really sure about this?" Yuuri asked quietly.  
  
Viktor was always sure of everything. He threw himself from one challenge to the next, never slowing down to let doubt even dog his heels. He was sure when he went to the NHL, all those years ago, and he was sure when he left it. He was sure when he saw that viral video of Yuuri, imitating the best like he belonged. He was sure that Yuuri would fit on his line perfectly, and he was right. Viktor was often right in his surety.  
  
"Of course," Viktor said.

 

\---

  
When Viktor first saw the viral video of Yuuri, he didn't know that it would be a life-altering event. But then he found himself watching the footage again and again, reading news articles about it, reading Yuuri Katsuki's ECHL stat page, reading his Wikipedia page, reading what little information in English or Russian was out there about this Japanese player. He watched the Youtube video so much he saw Yuuri skating in his dreams. That was when he booked the flight, packed up his gear, and forgot all about his promise to help Yuri Plisetsky with his summer training.  
  
Viktor never regretted it.

  
\---

  
They stole away in the middle of the night like thieves. Yurio had already left them for the season, ostensibly to spend time with his grandfather in Moscow. They didn't want him mixed up in this act of theirs, this thing that was going to piss off important people and have devastating fallout. Yurio hadn't even argued with them; he mumbled something about watching their backs and let them drive him to the airport in heartbreaking silence.  
  
Viktor loved his country. He loved it the way he loved lacing up his skates, the way he loved stepping outside in early fall and feeling the cold creep into his skin. He loved the stark and dramatic Magnitogorsk skyline against dawn's first light, and the fans who made such an effort to be there for their team. He loved speaking Russian and hearing Russian and helping Yuuri learn himself. He had worn his country's jersey time and again, both the bold home colors and the gorgeous white wings of the away jersey.  
  
But after this, Viktor's country probably wasn't going to love him back.  
  
He didn't call his and Yuuri's agent until they and Makkachin were safely in Japan. Yakov Feltsman was not above flying to wherever they were and attempting to drag them back to Magnitogorsk by force. Viktor wasn't oblivious to the position they were putting him in.  
  
"I really am sorry," Viktor said. He looked across the room to where Yuuri was speaking to his parents, explaining the situation.  
  
"Not sorry enough not to do it," Yakov grumbled. He sighed. "This is going to make things very hard for me, you selfish boy. They're not going to believe that I had no idea."  
  
"They'll have to, because it's the truth. We didn't want to put you in the position of having to lie."  
  
"Thank you," Yakov said dryly. "Somehow I don't think it's going to help. Now I know how your North American agent felt. Have you spoken to her yet?"  
  
"She's my next call." Viktor winced. She still represented him, but he hadn't actually done more than exchange biannual emails about his playing status since he left the NHL. She would either agree to take Yuuri on as a client or they would be looking for other options. Viktor still had friends in the league; he could find someone willing to take them.  
  
"Keep your head up," Yakov warned. "You and that boy."  
  
"We will," Viktor said, and then Yakov hung up on him.

  
  
\---

  
**World Hockey News** @ WorldHockeyNews

BREAKING: Russian Center Viktor Nikiforov withdraws from spot on national team http://tinyurl.com/hsnxouy

3/31/2019 9:03 EST  
  
**Bob McKenzie** @ TSNBobMcKenzie

Word is that Nikiforov will be in the stands for the Division 1 tournament to support Japan Captain Yuri Katsuki #iihf

4/22/2019 11:45 EST

  
\---

  
**July 2019**

  
The NHL offseason was nearing its zenith when they touched down in Ottawa. Sandra had agreed to take Yuuri on as her client, and she had listened to them tell her what they wanted without throwing anything or hanging up on them. Viktor was taking that as a victory. Their insistence on signing with the same team was going to limit their options, but she'd been honest about it. She had also assured them that she was confident she could still find them a team.  
  
"You're hardly the first guys to try something like this," she said. "Although your reasons are certainly novel. Give me a few days to kick the tires, and I'll get back to you."  
  
Four days later, she called them back and gave them the list of teams willing to negotiate with them as a pair. None of them were particular playoff powerhouses at the moment, but they all had enough room in the cap to afford two free agents.  
  
"Obviously it won't be official until free agency day," Sandra told them once Yuuri, being the practical one, had weighed in on where he thought they should go. "But unless they pull a fast one on us, we have this locked down."  
  
Once their plane taxied to the gate and they were through customs, an employee from the Senators picked them up at the airport. On the way to the main offices, Viktor thought about what kind of car he should buy for them. Something big enough for their gear, obviously, as well as room for Makkachin. Something he could teach Yuuri how to drive in. Maybe the team would have some ideas? They also needed a place to live that wasn't a hotel room.  
  
Once at the offices, Viktor and Yuuri shook hands with the GM and their coaching staff, posed for some photos wearing new jerseys, and gave light interviews with the in-house media. Viktor was charming, as always, and he couldn't resist winking at Yuuri as their new PR head fussed with his hair. Yuuri blushed in the moment, but that smirk he shot at Viktor when they stripped out of their jerseys was deliberate.  
  
Makkachin stole the show on Twitter, of course, but that wasn't unusual.

  
\---

  
**[BREAKING] NIKIFOROV AND KATSUKI SIGN WITH OTTAWA SENATORS DURING FREE AGENCY**

submitted 10 minutes ago by troublewithtrouba  
  
[-] cowboyhattr1ck ☆ 136 points 8 minutes ago

     I HAVE NEVER FELT MORE JUSTIFIED IN MY LIFE LAST YEAR I CALLED IT I FUCKING CALLED IT

  
\---

  
They rented a furnished house near Parliament Hill, and Viktor settled back into North American opulence like he had never left. He hadn't really. The house he had rented in Magnitogorsk had been built in American style, and his flat in St. Petersburg had been in the old wealth district, near where the foreign workers lived and sent their rich children to school. Viktor hadn't been poor in a long time, since before he had really noticed he'd been poor. Since juniors, at least.  
  
Viktor called the local rink and arranged to pay an exorbitant amount of money for ice time three days a week, with an option for additional time slots for their informal summer camp. Even Yuuri didn't know how many of Viktor's assets had remained in North America after he returned to Russia, how carefully he had hoarded his money and stocks and investments. He had sold his St. Petersburg flat before the end of the season in a move that had made real estate headlines. The sale of his Magnitogorsk house and car were handled by Yakov after Viktor and Yuuri had left the country, and the proceeds had been deposited directly into his North American accounts. While his Russian assets hadn't been seized — he was past the age of his mandatory military service, so they didn't have that law to hang over his head — he hadn't wanted to risk the money in a Russian bank.  
  
His time in the KHL had always had an expiration date, and while Viktor hadn't imagined fleeing in the dead of night with his lover, he'd known that eventually he'd go west again. It was the price of who and what he was; he didn't think it was too high to pay.  
  
Once the ice time was was set, Viktor went in search of Yuuri. He found him outside their rented house playing with Makkachin. Yuuri tossed a street hockey ball across the yard and watched as Makkachin chased it. Once the ball was recovered, Makkachin danced just out of Yuuri's reach, making him chase the ball himself.  
  
Viktor laughed, startling both dog and hockey player. Makkachin dropped the ball and ran over to Viktor, eager for attention.  
  
Viktor wasn't sure what their North American adventure had in store for them, if they could raise the Senators to be Stanley Cup contenders or if he would again be left with the bitter disappointment of failure in the NHL — but he wouldn't be anywhere else.

  
\---

  
**Don Brennan** @ SunDoniB

Nikiforov and Katsuki's summer training has turned into a who's who of international hockey. Practically an IIHF summit. #superstars

6/11/2019 9:16 EST

  
\---

  
Viktor somehow hadn't expected this many players to show up. He had called anyone who he thought might be interested in attending — excluding any Russians still knocking around the continent — and Yuuri had done the same. What that added up to, apparently, was twice as many people than he had planned on and far more media coverage than anyone had anticipated.  
  
"Phichit, Guang-Hong, Christophe Giacometti, Jean Jacques Leroy—"  
  
Yuuri was chanting everyone's name under his breath like he couldn't believe, and Viktor elbowed him in the side. Yuuri returned the hit with twice the force and kept going.  
  
"—Leo de la Iglesia, Michele and Sara Crispino, Emil Nekola, Hikaru Fujiwara—"  
  
Viktor interrupted him. "They're going to wonder why we invited them all this way if we don't go talk to them."  
  
Yuuri sucked in a deep breath and nodded. He still got nervous from time to time, although his anxiety was much more manageable nowadays. Viktor flattered himself as having something to do with the transformation.  
  
Honestly, the effect they had on each other hadn't exactly gone unnoticed by the public. Viktor's own Wikipedia page had been updated to reflect that, with someone clever adding a whole section called the 'Katsuki era'. It lasted two hours before someone rearranged everything and the paragraph disappeared, but Viktor couldn't stop thinking about it.  
  
Viktor was selfish, and he had always been driven by the desire to have it: to have everything, to own the competition. To be so perfect on the ice that the world couldn't look away. When his team went all the way to the Conference Finals in the NHL, he'd thought he was going to win. That they were going win. But they hadn't, and he'd left the league to chase a less crushing dream.  
  
If he'd signed with a different team this time around, a better team, he might be able to win it now. But then he wouldn't be playing with Yuuri and—  
  
And what would be the point?  
  
"Okay! Everyone!" Viktor raised his arms dramatically. "Welcome to Yuuri and I's summer training camp! We're so glad you could make it!"  
  
"Everyone here brings a different playing style," Yuuri said, "and we're hoping everyone leaves with a new way to look at the ice and their own playing."  
  
He and Viktor beamed at each other in happiness for a moment before they put their helmets on, tapped each other's sticks, and got started.  
  
(By the second day and some Instagram posts from Phichit later, there was a crowd at the rink watching them. By the third day, there was a Senators media crew at the rink filming them. By the sixth day, Viktor spotted a suspicious number of former hockey players in the crowd, no doubt scouting for their various employers. By the seventh day, there was a daily practice breakdown on the Silver Sevens blog and a Twitter hashtag.)

  
\---

  
**October 2019**

  
They tore it up in the preseason, and then they tore it up in the regular season, and the most insulting thing about it was the number of people surprised by Yuuri's success. They knew Viktor would be successful.  
  
Yuuri's biggest strengths as a player were his skating skills, his endurance, and his ability to be exactly where Viktor needed him on the ice. People saw the ease in which he did those things and thought therefore what he did was easy, but Viktor knew better. Viktor saw hours of watching tape, hours of skating, hours of practice in every stride and perfect pass. They had the chemistry, but chemistry only went as far as perseverance.  
  
Neither of them were quite the superstars they were in the KHL, where the points came easier, but they were steady producers. They filled out the second powerplay unit. Nine points between them over seven games was nothing to sneeze at.  
  
The articles about their season started off offensively impressed with how well Yuuri played, as if he hadn't spent the past three years making and breaking records in the KHL. Viktor was used to how self-centered the western hockey media was, but it still grated on him. Yuuri handled the media as well as he ever had, which meant slightly dramatic declarations mixed with stammered cliches. The fans thought it was endearing; Viktor didn't disagree.  
  
"Let's get you some goals tonight," Viktor said to Yuuri before their eighth game.  
  
Yuuri flashed a quick smirk back at him. "Maybe I'll let you have a few assists."  
  
"Niki, Kats!" their captain called from the hallway. "Let's go! We've got a game to win!"  
  
Viktor and Yuuri bumped their fists against each other and tapped their sticks. Game time.

  
\---

  
**December 2019**

  
Shortly after the season had begun, way back in October, Viktor had called Sandra and asked her about getting permanent residency in Canada.  
  
"Are you absolutely sure?" Sandra asked. While getting a PR card didn't mean Viktor revoked his Russian citizenship, with the current political climate and rumors swirling around why he left, it would be a pretty clear signal that he wasn't planning on going back.  
  
"I'm certain."  
  
"Okay, we're going to have to talk to some lawyers about this. I don't know a whole lot about the process, but I think there's a couple of different ways to do this," Sandra had said. "It probably won't hit the news until it's final anyway."  
  
The path to getting his permanent residency was weird and winding, and Viktor mostly left it to the lawyers and agents working with them. He knew that the Ottawa Senators were doing something to help the process along. He'd been assured he could stay in the country until it was finished, and that was all he was really concerned about. Yuuri thought that this was fairly shortsighted of him — what if something went wrong or fell through? — but things tended to work out in Viktor's favor more often than not. Just look at Yuuri: One viral video and Viktor was playing hockey with the love of his life and making history while doing it.  
  
Besides, he was throwing an awful lot of money at the process, and in his experience, that helped things along.  
  
They filmed a variety of ridiculous holiday videos for the Sens media department, and Viktor embraced the western version of Christmas wholeheartedly. He planned on doing both Western Christmas and Russian New Years, he explained in an interview, because who wouldn't love twice the presents? The clip got laughs in the arena, and Viktor soaked up the attention like a sponge.  
  
Canada wasn't his home country, but he was making a life here. He and Yuuri were still playing on a line together. Makkachin was happy and had a dedicated online following. Yuuri had settled into the NHL and was respected across the league as a solid player with amazing hands. The Senators weren't Stanley Cup favorites, but they had a fair shot at making the playoffs this season. Anything could happen.

  
\---

  
Posted March 4, 2020. Last edited by  BizNastyBRO: _Yesterday at 11:46 PM_  
  
BizNastyBRO  
Registered User  
Join Date: Apr 2012  
Location: Bloomington, Indiana  
Posts: 4,806  
  
**Notorious Russian Viktor Nikiforov became a Canadian citizen???**  
  
What the hell?? I know there are certain rumors about him and Kats but wow  
  
  
bobbyryanbestryan  
Registered User  
Join Date: Jun 2015  
Location: Ottawa, Ontario  
Posts: 2,577  
  
are you surprised? if i was in his situation i'd bolt to canada too. welcome to canada niki!!  
  
  
jetbacktopeg  
Registered User  
Join Date: Nov 2013  
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba  
Posts: 6,983  
  
          [ _welcome to canada_ ]  
  
Dude, he's just a permanent resident, hold off on the parade.

  
\---

  
**March 2020**

  
The news about Viktor's permanent residency broke two days before a big game against Vegas. The Knights had already been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, and they'd been playing like they were out for blood ever since. At the next practice, Viktor gave cheerful non-answers to the reporters' carefully phrased questions about his PR card. Yuuri fielded some questions of his own about the situation, but he handled it as gracefully as any hockey player could. He'd had a lot more practice with the media these last few years, and he rarely found himself stuttering out an answer he hadn't intended to give.  
  
The internet wasn't nearly as polite as the reporters about their speculation, but it never was.  
  
Yuuri played like a madman in practice that day, skating from one end of the ice to the other and back like he had never felt tired a day in his life. Viktor found himself on the edge of struggling just to keep up. It invigorated him, how happy and focused and alive Yuuri was.  
  
The day of the game, Yuuri couldn't fall asleep for his pre-game nap. He paced the house, took Makkachin on a walk all the way to the university and back, and shot pucks in their backyard until it was time to leave.  
  
"I just feel like something's going to happen," Yuuri said once he and Viktor were on the way to the Canadian Tire Centre. Viktor was driving them — Yuuri still couldn't drive — and he spared a glance over to see Yuuri chewing on his bottom lip.  
  
"Something good or bad?" Viktor asked. It was good to be prepared.  
  
"Good, I think."  
  
"Then look forward to it rather than being nervous," Viktor said. He picked up Yuuri's hand and kissed it, since he couldn't kiss Yuuri where he wanted to.  
  
They ate their pre-game meal with the team and did their usual preparations. Warm ups were fun; Viktor even got Yuuri to dance with him in a moment that was captured on the big jumbotron. They did their ritual hug and stick tap behind the scenes and headed out to the bench for the opening national anthems. The game started, and Viktor knew Yuuri hadn't been exaggerating the second Coach signaled they should take the ice.  
  
The puck came to Yuuri's stick like it was drawn there, and he took off down the ice faster than the Knights defensemen could keep up. He deked around the goalie and scored unassisted. It was only the first period, and Viktor was left breathless.  
  
Both teams scored again by the time the horn blew for intermission. Viktor hugged Yuuri the second they were out of sight of the cameras.  
  
Yuuri scored again on a deflection in the second period. Viktor shot the puck blindly towards the net during a mad scramble, two Knights players trying to tangle him up as he did. The puck glanced off Yuuri's stick in the crease and wobbled in just under the goalie's elbow. Yuuri was awarded the goal.  
  
He and Viktor's eyes met on the bench after play resumed, and neither dared say what they were thinking, what the whole team was thinking. The Knights scored again, and there was a fight that left equipment scattered across half the ice, but they made it to the third period with their lead intact.  
  
Yuuri's third goal was a straightforward shot — he was expecting the goalie to block it so that Viktor could get the rebound. He didn't anticipate the goalie attempting to catch the puck in his glove, fumbling, and dropping it right inside the goal line.  
  
Hattrick.  
  
An expression of pure shock crossed Yuuri's face. Then, fast enough that Viktor was probably the only who would recognize it, the slightest hint of smugness blossomed as he threw his arms up and hugged Viktor. The goalie was right there, but their teammates crowded around them anyway. Everyone was yelling and jumping for Yuuri, for his achievement. Hats rained down on them. The goal song blasted, but Viktor could still hear the crowd chanting.  
  
"Yuu-ri, Yuu-ri, Yuu-ri!"  
  
"That's for you!" Viktor shouted in Yuuri's ear, and then he wrapped his arms around Yuuri and kissed him.  
  
There were 18,694 people in the stands watching them. Forty cameras were trained on them in this moment. They were going to make the news all over the Northern hemisphere. They were going to be a hashtag. Everyone was going to know.  
  
Good, Viktor thought to himself.

  
\---

 **Down Goes Brown** @ DownGoesBrown

That was amazing. What an incredibly brave act. #lovewins #ottawasenators

3/4/2020 9:39 EST

  
\---

  
**VIKTOR NIKIFOROV KISSES YURI KATSUKI AFTER HATTRICK (multiple angles)**  
  
[7,567,821 views]

  
  
crosbymebb [7 hours ago]

Well now we know why Nikiforov applied for a PR card  
  
_view all 196 replies_  
  
      tooh0ckey4u [1 hour ago]

     I'm so happy!!

  
\---

  
goodboysplayh0cky  
do we know for sure if this is a gay thing or another fournier-drouin type celebration?  
  
toews-sharkeyes  
it looked pretty deliberately gay to me dude  
  
niki-kats-love  
THEY CONFIRMED THEYRE IN A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP I'M DYING

  
\---

  
**July 2020**

  
  
Yurio insisted on being a part of their summer training group that year.  
  
"You've already been drafted," Yuuri said with faint amusement. "You have rookie camp in a month."  
  
"I'm here to prove that I can keep up with you losers," Yurio snapped. He crossed his arms and glared. "I'm NHL ready."  
  
"You're eighteen," Viktor pointed out mercilessly. "The odds of you making the roster at eighteen—"  
  
"Crosby did it, McDavid did it, Eichel did it, Matthews did it—"  
  
"Matthews was nineteen," Yuuri interjected.  
  
"—and I'm going to do it too," Yurio finished with a growl. " _You_ did it, Viktor."  
  
"Practicing with us is going to bring back the scrutiny from last season," Viktor said. "You haven't done your military service yet, they could still—"  
  
"I don't care," Yurio said. "I'm staying here, I'm playing here, and I'm doing this damn camp with you, so get over it."  
  
Viktor looked at Yuuri and shrugged. Trying to talk Yurio out of something he'd decided on was pointless. There were twice as many people at their little summer training group than last year, and the rink was crowded with spectators. Phichit wasn't there — he'd been invited to the Dallas Stars prospect camp instead — but Yuuri had invited some Japanese kid named Minami in his place.  
  
Everyone was waiting on them. Viktor gently knocked his and Yuuri's helmets together and gave him a quick peck on the lips. There was an audible swoon from their audience. Yuuri pulled back, gave them that perfectly incendiary smirk of his, and reeled him back in by the front of his practice jersey.

  
\---

  
**The Journey to Making History: An Interview with Yuri Katsuki and Viktor Nikiforov**

by Steve Dangle, guest writing for RMNB

  
  
Yuri Katsuki picked out the restaurant we met at.  
  
"He says it's the most authentic Japanese food in Ottawa," Viktor Nikiforov said when asked.  
  
"It reminds me of home," Katsuki said. "We come here every week during the season."  
  
"Don't tell the team nutritionist," Nikiforov said, winking conspiratorially. We had all been sitting down for less than a minute, and he had already slung his arm over the back of Katsuki's chair. Once everyone's orders were taken — Katsuki ordering the katsudon he's infamous for loving — I pulled out the list of questions and topics Steve Dangle Podcast listeners had submitted last week.

  
  
**Dangle:** So I saw that you guys went back to Japan over the break. How was it?  
  
**Katsuki:** Great, it was great. We saw my parents and my sister. Played some shinny with friends of mine.  
  
**Dangle:** Mrs. Dangle has told me repeatedly that we have to go back and visit your family's hot spring again.  
  
**Katsuki:** They'd love to have you.  
  
**Dangle:** I saw that your dog Makkachin went with you.  
  
**Nikiforov:** [laughs] Well, I could never leave Makkachin behind.  
  
**Dangle:** Our dogs are friends on Twitter. The internet demands a playdate between them.  
  
**Nikiforov:** We should!  
  
**Dangle:** So switching to a more serious topic—  
  
**Nikiforov:** Bring it on.  
  
**Dangle:** Viktor, when you were snubbed from the 2018 Olympic roster, rumors circulated as to why — with several suggesting that it because of your personal life. Was it?  
  
**Nikiforov:** I can't say for sure. I know that there were rumors about us from early on. Hockey players like to gossip.  
  
**Katsuki:** The worst thing was that they didn't warn him they were dropping him. He went to their camp that year. They told him he was going to be on the team and then changed their mind.  
  
**Dangle:** So you found out during the public roster announcement? Is that why you withdrew your name from the 2019 World Championship?  
  
**Nikiforov:** That, and it gave me the chance to watch Yuri play in Division 1. Japan won silver.  
  
**Dangle:** What about the reaction from other players? Did you get any extra attention on the ice after that kiss?  
  
**Katsuki:** We were already getting attention on the ice.  
  
**Nikiforov:** They didn't say anything they weren't saying before.  
  
**Dangle:** What about from the Russian players? What's their reaction been like?  
  
**Nikiforov:** I don't think it was as bad as what you're thinking. Players say things, but that's not unusual. They were saying that before Yuri and I came out. Things get heated on the ice. I don't take it personally.  
  
**Dangle:** Yurio Plisetsky was the only Russian at your summer camp.  
  
**Katsuki:** Not a lot of Russians go to Crosby's camp either. It's the summer. Everyone goes home.  
  
**Dangle:** So you haven't had any negative reaction from the Russian players? What about support?  
  
**Nikiforov:** Yeah, we've had support. It's not something that's going to be talked about in public, but we know a lot of people. Not everyone from Russia feels the same way about things.  
  
**Dangle:** Understandable. So I'm sorry to ask the cliche question, but when did you fall in love?  
  
**Nikiforov:** When I saw that Youtube video of him.  
  
**Dangle:** Wow, seriously?  
  
**Katsuki:** He's absolutely serious.  
  
**Dangle:** What about you?  
  
**Nikiforov:** When he saw me play for the first time on television.  
  
**Dangle:** Wow. Way to make me feel inadequate about me and Mrs. Dangle's relationship path.  
  
**Katsuki:** It's not like we realized it at first.  
  
**Dangle:** What about plans for the future? The Senators made it to the second round this past summer. What do you think of your chances in the future?  
  
**Katsuki:** I think the future is wide open. We have a great team with a solid core.  
  
**Nikiforov:** I'm confident we'll bring the Stanley Cup to Ottawa.  
  
**Dangle:** Oh? How soon?  
  
**Nikiforov:** Sooner than it'll go to Toronto.  
  
**Dangle:** Ouch.

*  
  
The Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs meet for the season opener on October 10, 2020. Makkachin's Twitter account is [here]. I can be found crying about the Leafs on the [Steve Dangle Podcast], the [Steve Dangle Youtube channel], or my own [Twitter account].

 

 

**COMMMENTS**

 

 

thegreat8mate

Think we could trade for them? We have gay marriage here too, you know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I put more media posts in this one to reflect the increased intrusion of it into their lives as they transition to North America.
> 
> Viktor and Yuuri's flight from Russia was inspired in part by how Evgeni Malkin left Metallurg in 2006, after they pressured him into signing a contract extension and then confiscated his passport. They gave him his passport back for travel and he promptly ducked out of training camp and bolted for America.
> 
> IIHF stands for the International Ice Hockey Federation. They run most of the international events and manage the participation in the Olympics.
> 
> The real reason Viktor was snubbed from the 2018 Olympics is because I forgot they were happening. 
> 
> Odds are that there's going to be yet another damn lockout in 2020, so all of this is hand-waving that. Also the Vegas Golden Knights (ugh) might have to change their name (ha) so who knows how accurate any of this will be. 
> 
> Stefan Fournier and Jonathan Drouin, former juniors teammates on the Halifax Mooseheads, made headlines a few years ago when Fournier laid a kiss on Drouin during an on-ice celebration. There was also a Ziggy Palffy and Travis Green kiss a few years before that on Islanders. It happens.
> 
> There have been Russian players who have found themselves barred from leaving the country until they fulfill their military obligations. Every man between the ages of 18 to 27 is required to spend at least a year in the military. If you're an athlete, however, the Russian government will kindly allow you to play for a Russian team of their choosing instead. Alexander Semin was reminded of that the hard way.
> 
> Don Brennan is a Sens beat writer.
> 
> You can come talk hockey or Yuri on Ice with me at my [tumblr](http://snowdarkred.tumblr.com/).


	4. The Media

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last part of this thing that was only literally only supposed to be a oneshot.

** Can the NHL handle player couples?  **

_ Deadspin  _

 

It's been six months since Yuri Katsuki and Viktor Nikiforov came out. The Senators were one of two Canadian NHL teams to make the playoffs for the 2019-20 season; they were eliminated in the second round by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Many were expecting either Katsuki or Nikiforov (or both) to retire after the postseason was over, but it appears that they have every intention of playing in through 2021 at least. That leaves us all with a question: How is the NHL going to handle having two players dating each other? Well, here's how it could go:...[Read More] 

 

\--- 

 

**Mike Heika** @ MikeHeika 

Phichit Chulanont signs PTO with #DallasStars, will make preseason debut on October 4th. First player of Thai nationality to play in NHL. 

9/28/2020 7:42 CST 

 

**Arthur Staple** @ StapeNewsday 

Watching Yurio Plisetsky during practice scrimmage. He definitely looks NHL ready. May start regular season w/team #islanders 

10/1/2020 10:03 EST 

 

**Mike Heika** @ MikeHeika 

Phichit Chulanont signs two-way contract with #dallasstars. Will start the season with AHL affiliate in Austin #phichitchulanont 

10/8/2020 9:37 CST 

 

\--- 

 

** Out Magazine Headline: Love on the Ice (article about Nikiforov and Katsuki and how they got together)  **

submitted 8 hours ago by theracoonking 

 

 

[-] gamessful -8 points 2 hours ago 

ELI5 from r/all: why do people care so much about these guys 

     [-] cowboyhattr1ck ☆ 62 points 2 hours ago 

          Because they're the first out gay couple in major sports in the US and that's important?? 

     [-] stamkos-strikes **ϟ** 13 points 2 hours ago 

          I know you're from r/all but have you been living under a rock? 

          [-] gamessful 2 points 1 hour ago 

               don't make fun of someone just because they don't know something 

               [-] stamkos-strikes **ϟ** 7 points 1 hour ago 

                    I'm just saying, Niki and Kats have made the front page of reddit like five times a day since that kiss. Pick up a newspaper or something. 

 

 

\--- 

 

 

**New York Post** @ nypost 

Y. Plisetsky makes public statement of support for Katsuki&Nikiforov: "I don't care what they do as long as I'm not in the room." #islanders 

12/7/2020 11:04 EST 

 

 

\--- 

 

 

❤ 27,582 

с новым годом!! I'm so happy to spend another year loving and playing with Yuuri #newyears #blessed 

_ view all 7416 comments  _

 

phichit+chu Y'all are too much 

v-nikiforov I can't believe living in Texas has made you say "yall" 

 

 

\--- 

 

 

**Mark Lazerus** @ MarkLazerus 

Did Don Cherry cross line again? "They ought to just keep their personal business out of the game" #hnic 

2/14/2021 8:27 EST 

 

**Mark Lazerus** @ MarkLazerus 

Ron MacLean looks physically pained to be sitting next to Cherry #hnic 

2/14/2021 8:28 EST 

 

 

\--- 

 

 

**New York Post** @ nypost 

Plisetsky left off Russian WC roster; possible repercussions from his support of Nikiforov & Katsuki's relationship? [http://bit.ly/2g6n29p](http://bit.ly/2g6n29p)

2/27/2021 11:11 EST 

 

 

\--- 

 

 

Grab Something by OnceUponAPuck (nikikatslove) 

Fandoms: Hockey RPF 

Explicit 

No Archive Warnings Apply 

M/M 

Complete Work 

6 Apr 2021 

 

No Archive Warnings Apply, Yuri Katsuki/Viktor Nikiforov, Yuri Katsuki, Viktor Nikiforov, Semi-Public Sex, PWP, i'm not saying this happens but this definitely happens right?, the poor sens have to put up with so much, help i can't stop writing niki/kats, I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE ITS REAL 

 

Oh no, Kats is nervous before a game! Niki knows just how to calm him down. 

 

Language: English Words: 1,689 Chapters: 1/1 Kudos: 2 Bookmarks: 1 Hits: 36 

 

\--- 

 

Posted May 4, 2021. Last edited by bobbyryanbestryan: _Today at 1:25 PM_

  
bobbyryanbestryan   
Registered User  
Join Date: Jun 2015  
Location: Ottawa, Ontario  
Posts: 3,129

 

** The Katsuki Effect? Six Japanese Youth Players Submit Their Names to North American Junior Leagues for Draft  **

 

three to the QMJHL, two to the OHL, and one to the WHL.

 

  
jetbacktopeg  
Registered User  
Join Date: Nov 2013  
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba  
Posts: 7,297

 

I heard they're doing a lot more scouting in Asia now. I'd bet $$ that's what Katsuki is going to do once he retires. That or he'll be a trainer. Just look at that summer camp he runs with Nikiforov. 

 

\--- 

 

 

**Don Brennan** @ SunDoniB

Yuri Katsuki signs reported 500K a year contract with Bauer, will be the face of hockey for Asian market #yurikatsuki 

6/14/2021 8:30 EST 

 

 

\--- 

 

 

TUE, 26 AUGUST 2021 AT 12:55 PM 

** GAY HOCKEY PLAYERS YURI KATSUKI AND VIKTOR NIKIFOROV SECRETLY ENGAGED?  **

 

Well well well! Things seem to be heating up on the ice for everyone's favorite gay hockey players. After their season ended in a disappointing playoff loss, lovers Yuri Katsuki and Viktor Nikiforov headed straight for Yuri's hometown of Hasetsu, Japan. There, notorious shutterbug Viktor has been posting non-stop photos of the couple doing everything from exercising to eating ramen. And in one of those photos? Is it just me, or is that a bit of glitter on their ring fingers? Maybe a portion of their combined $7 million a year salary went to a jeweler? Take a look for yourself! 

 

\- _Reporting by Just Jared Staff Writer_

 

 

\--- 

 

 

PRESS RELEASE: Viktor Nikiforov and Yuri Katsuki team up with You Can Play for youth ice hockey camp. The camp, which will be free to all participants, is sponsored by You Can Play and Nikiforov and Katsuki's own charity Skate Through. The camp will focus on introducing minority and economically disadvantaged children, ages 5 to 9, to the sport of ice hockey. Equipment will be provided by the camp and participants will have the option to keep their gear at the end. Applications will be available for the 2022 summer camp starting December 2021. More information will be announced at a later date. 

 

 

\--- 

 

 

**Ottawa Senators** @ Senators 

The boys are back in town #senshockey #trainingcamp 

9/20/2021 8:23 EST 

 

 

\--- 

 

 

** 11 Times Viktor Nikiforov and Yuri Katsuki's Relationship Was #goals  **

by Buzzfeed Staff • Thurs 1/20/2022 

 

 

\--- 

 

 

niki-kats-love 

OH NO CHAPMAN YOU CAN'T HIT NIKI LIKE THAT 

 

toews-sharkeyes 

the league's gotta take a look at that, it was def late 

 

niki-kats-love

HE BLINDSIDED NIKI WHAT AN ASS 

 

\--- 

 

** HOCKEY FIGHT: Senators Katsuki fights Ducks Chapman after hit on Nikiforov  **

[2,279,582 views] 

 

christophe-gc [✓] [3 hours ago] 

Suddenly I want Yuuri and Viktor to come to Switzerland much less. 

_ view all 429 replies  _

     phichit+chu [✓] [2 hours ago] 

     I had no idea Yuuri could throw down like that. 

     christophe-gc [✓] [2 hours ago] 

     Judging from his face, I don't think Chapman did either. 

 

\--- 

 

 

** The NHL Optics Problem of Nikiforov and Katsuki  **

Puck Daddy 

 

While many cheered when Yuri Katsuki fought Doug Chapman after the latter's illegal check on Viktor Nikiforov, it has left the NHL with a unique problem: How far can retaliation be allowed to go? 

We all remember the hit: Nikiforov, Katsuki's linemate, was crossing the blue line with the puck. He passed to his other linemate. Then, a whole second and a half into not having possession of the puck, Chapman hit him from a bad angle. Katsuki then, as teammates tend to do, dropped the gloves and fought with Chapman until the linesmen separated them. Nikiforov had to be escorted from the ice by trainers and missed two weeks with concussion-like symptoms. 

None of this would be particularly unusual, if it Katsuki were not also Nikiforov's boyfriend. 

And there lies the NHL's PR problem: With same-sex relationships gaining acceptance across the league, Katsuki and Nikiforov will not likely remain the NHL's only out couple. What happens when a player is injured and his partner is understandably upset? How does the league avoid the appearance of favoritism or... [Read More]

 

 

\--- 

 

 

❤ 3,711 

#Stars recall forward Phichit Chulanont from the Texas Stars (AHL) 

_ view all 481 comments  _

daveyclarkmansfist yes!! 

allthebenns The guy showed so much fire in the four games he's played this year why have we stuck him in the minors so long? 

 

 

\---

 

 

**Down Goes Brown** @ DownGoesBrown 

Once again, only two Canadian NHL teams make the playoffs. Reminder that a Canadian team hasn't won the cup since 1993 #canadasgame 

4/2/2022 10:07 EST 

 

**What The Puck?!Facts** @ WTPHockeyFacts 

Hockey fact: This is the first time the Ottawa Senators have gone to the Stanley Cup Finals since 2007. 

6/1/2022 6:14 PST 

 

**Ottawa Senators** @ Senators 

YOUR OTTAWA SENATORS ARE STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!! 

6/12/2022 10:46 EST 

 

**Steve Dangle Glynn** @ Steve_Dangle 

I CAN'T BELIEVE VIKTOR NIKIFOROV WAS RIGHT ABOUT GETTING THE CUP BEFORE THE LEAFS #cursed 

6/12/2022 10:47 EST 

 

 

\--- 

 

** VIKTOR NIKIFOROV AND YURI KATSUKI TIED THE KNOT TODAY IN STAR-STUDDED CEREMONY  **

by Buzzfeed Staff • Thurs 7/7/22 

 

Viktor Nikiforov and Yuri Katsuki, forwards for the Stanley Cup winning Ottawa Senators, were married today in Ottawa. Friends and family (and a staggering number of hockey players) gathered to celebrate with the happy couple at the lavish Fairmont Château Laurier hotel. An estimated 350 guests were... [Read More] 

 

 

\--- 

 

 

**Viktor Nikiforov and Yuri Katsuki Buy Ottawa Home: Take a look inside**

Globe Staff 

The Globe and Mail 

Published Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022 12:35PM EST 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it, folks.
> 
> You can come talk hockey or Yuri on Ice with me at my [tumblr](http://snowdarkred.tumblr.com/).


End file.
